


A Tail of Halloween Hi jinks

by SAYS



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 06:14:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16470293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SAYS/pseuds/SAYS
Summary: For Ramona - Halloween and pranks go together - in the most unusual ways, at times.





	A Tail of Halloween Hi jinks

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Mon, thanks for being such a wonderful friend for the past (oh Merlin!!) twelves years. You've beta'd me through thick and thin. I hope you enjoy this!! This was beta'd by Emma (AKA facingthenorthwind on HPFT)

Halloween was the Marauders favorite time of the year, other than April Fool's day. But that was months away, and they couldn't wait to play a prank on their favorite Slytherin. If _favorite_ was an actual term they could use for the greasy, ickle Severus, _Snivellus_ , Snape. It didn't matter to Peter, _Wormtail_ Pettigrew that he didn't understand why they all hated the other wizard, he was just happy, pleased as punch as it were, that he wasn't the object of his Gryffindor chums' bullying. Which could have happened if Snape hadn't attracted attention to himself by making doe eyes at the very beautiful and very Gryffindor Lily Evans.

Going along with James _Prongs_ Potter, Sirius _Padfoot_ Black and the ever morose Remus _Moony_ Lupin was what the mousy brown haired young wizard did best. He just needed to get his part of the prank done and himself down to the Great Hall to the pumpkin covered and candle lit celebration before he was missed. This promised to be _the_ best Marauder Prank _ever_ in their vaulted history of Hogwarts pranking.

Peter snuck stealthily through the ever darkened corridor in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He was in his rat Animagus form, and he couldn't hardly contain the excitement he felt at the power of it all. He could pass by a prefect, he could pass by a professor, and they wouldn't think a thing of it. It was brilliant! And, he could barely contain the good old Gryffindor Pride he felt that James and Sirius had chosen him for this particular mission. He chose not to notice the pressed lips, crossed arms and shaking head of the fourth Marauder, Remus. “He's just jealous,” he chittered out in rodent-like squeaks. He twittered out what was a rat-like laugh and swished his tail proudly. He'd also completely ignored the fact that Remus Lupin didn't have an Animagus form, and that his werewolf form would be the least appropriate of all of them in any sort of prank that the Marauders had ever done in their Hogwarts mischief careers.

Peter turned a corner and passed the Potions classroom. He was almost there, and wished he could stop – just for a brief moment – in the kitchens, He was hungry, and he just knew he could do his part of the task all that much better if his stomach wasn't as rumbly as it was right then. But, James and Sirius had warned him he didn't have much time to plant the note before their mark returned to the Slytherin Common room and made his way to the Boy's Dormitories. If he got caught, they'd all be in trouble. Detention or worse. Worse being expelled, because he was Gryffindor, and he could hardly explain away his being in another House's Common Room.

So, Peter forced his hunger down. He just hoped that James and Sirius had something delicious for him once he'd done his job. They usually had some sort of snack hanging around the Dormitory back in Gryffindor, but this was an extra special prank, and his part of was extra special in it – so, something extra special to munch, right? His paws rubbed together and rubbed at his face, tickling at his long whiskers as he stood on his hind legs and sniffed delicately. His beady eyes searched in the murky darkness of the hallway. The lights from the magically controlled candles in their scones flickering, and the light barely lit up the dank corners around the archway of the door.

_There is was!!_ and his wee lips curled into a smile of satisfaction. A small, gnawed opening in the corner was his goal. He just had to breath in, tuck his legs in on all sides, and wiggle, wiggle until he squeezed himself into the mouse sized opening. _Maybe that was the actual reason James and Sirius had told him not to eat,_ he questioned himself and panted in desperation as he felt his stomach catch at the walls of the opening. _Breath in, breath in_ , he ordered himself dramatically in thought. _Don't let it out_ , he wiggled, his back feet grasping at the wood outside the opening to give himself a push. He felt the _pop_ as he finally got through, and looked around with slit eyes to see if he'd been noticed. But no Slytherins were in the room. He thanked Merlin profusely, and reached a paw up to swipe at the sweat that beaded on his furry forehead. _Now for the hard part,_ he thought with a huff of breaths.

Peter took his time to look around the Common Room. It was a place rarely seen by Non-Slytherins, if at all. Probably only Professors, if that. He marveled at the windows that kept the Black Lake from flowing into the room. He watched the fish swish past, and the long fronds of water weeds sway with the current. He was (sort of) jealous of the Slytherins window view, and briefly regretted fighting the Sorting Hat for putting him into Gryffindor. _But you wouldn't have James, Sirius and Remus as best friends,_ he reminded himself with a short shake of his head. He had an _important_ job to do. A job only he could do, according to James. Sirius had only smirked, and Remus had shaken his head ruefully. He would show them! And, with that, Peter scampered to the Boy's Dormitories to where their Mark spent his nights.

Peter looked at each door for a name. _Severus Snape_ and his ratty lips curled into a smile. This prank was going to be the best they'd ever done to the greasy wizard. It would also teach him to stay away from Gryffindor witches like Lily Evans. His eyes narrowed at the memory. How chummy they were, and how she barely looked at the Marauders except with disdain. They were her housemates, for Merlin's sake! He found the right door ajar, and slipped in to look around with a slight sniff. So far, he'd counted himself lucky that no one was around. The Quidditch game between Gryffindor and Slytherin before the Great Halloween Feast was going on, and like good little Housemates, they were all at the game, as were all the Gryffindors. He wouldn't be missed out on the field because he hated Quidditch and hung out in the kitchens during the games. The thought of the kitchens and the amazing aromas that had filled the hallway made his stomach protest loudly. He was _hungry_. With a capital _H_.

The word rolled in his head and he forgot what he was doing for a moment. Sirius had promised to save him a huge piece of cake with three – count them, three – scoops of butterbeer flavored ice cream. That was making all of this rumbling in his stomach worth it. He was almost giddy, with the thought of their prank's end. Humiliating Snape had become a tradition from the first day they all entered Hogwarts. This was going to be the biggest prank ever, with it affecting the whole gang that Severus hung out with. _Malfoy. Rosier. Wilkes. Lestrange._ All those richie rich, snobby Slytherins, And it's possibly harm to Snape's standing with them – golden. Just _golden._

Peter's wee paws rubbed together and he looked around the room. He knew he didn't have too much longer, and that timing was everything. _Everything._ He couldn't wait to see the results of their prank, and it sent a shiver of anticipation down his little rat spine.

But now came the risky part of the mission. Peter's form wiggled as he returned to his human form. A rat could be explained away being sighted in the Slytherin Dormitories, not so much an overweight Gryffindor carrying a charmed note to tuck in Severus Snape's drawers. He handled the folded piece of parchment carefully, knowing one little flap of the paper could set off the prank – early. Then, he would definitely be caught in an area that no self respecting Gryffindor would be.

Peter was definitely disappointed that the Slytherin dorms looked basically the same as the Gryffindor dorms. Five beds, five dressers, five trunks at the end of the beds. Curtains that covered windows, and he walked over to take a quick peek out by parting them. “Woah,” he gasped out, and was reminded of the windows in the common room. Brackish water was in view, with fish swimming by. He watched, almost mesmerized by the sea creatures, wishing that Gryffindor's Common Room and Dormitories had such a fantastic view as this! Oh, why had the Hat sorted him into Gryffindor? He chuffed out a envious breath, and turned. The curtains swished shut, and his wandering mind returned to the task at hand. He looked at the watch on his wrist, and sighed dramatically. He only had a few minutes to finish his task before the Game ended, and the Slytherins returned to their room to get ready for the festivities.

Unlike the door, the dressers had no placards for who used which dresser or bed. It would have to be dumb luck or an actual search of the drawers for him to figure out which was Snape's. He didn't want to make a mistake, for the others had means to get back at them if they got pranked. He took a deep breath, and looked around. Which should he -

The sound of heavy steps on the stairs to the dorms had Peter moaning in fright. He'd wasted his time, and he fumbled the note in his hand. “Bloody bludgers,” he stammered out and looked at the note in his hands even as he dropped it to pull his wand out to cast himself back into a rat. Note on the ground, he swished his tail and twittered and squeaked nervously as the door was thrown open and a three furious Slytherins stamped into the room. They barely missed his tail as he skittered under the bed. His tiny heart beat furiously in his chest and he squished himself as far as he could into the floor and watched as the note flittered and fluttered between the stamping feet.

“Can't believe Potter got that Quaffle past you, Lestrange!” Lucius Malfoy kicked off his trainers and they thudded against the wall. He sat on the bed and looked at Rodolphus with a sneer. Anger drew lines in his face. “Not my fault – he and Black ganged up -”

Malfoy raised a hand, “Silence, my father will here about this! Then _yours_ will!” he hissed out, and bent to pull his socks off. His eyes caught sight of the now crushed and dirtied note and he picked it up. “One of you lose this?” He looked around and then back down to the paper and the name scripted on it. “Snape's got a love letter!” he chortled out, suddenly amused where he'd been angry before. He waved it in the air and looked at black haired young wizard. His lips curled into a smirk, and Peter wished he could just melt through the floor right to his own Common Room. Suddenly – this was not that enjoyable. Not quite the fun prank it had been, He was _this_ close to being caught, and his ratty paws drifted up to cover his eyes when he saw Malfoy's finger begin to slide open the note.

“It's not mine,” Snape denied, even though his eyes looked curiously at the writing. Had Lily responded to his request to join him at the Halloween feast? “Never seen it before,” he said truthfully and he stepped back and forced his hand not to reach for it. He hoped it wasn't from Lily – or the other Slytherins would give him hell. He hadn't hid his feelings for her very well, and they gave him trouble each time they found out he'd been with her. Between them and Potter, he couldn't catch a break _anywhere_.

“I'll bet it is from -” Malfoy sang out with a snicker. The flap flipped open, the note unfolded. _BAM_! It was like an acrid smoke, drifting orange around them. They all gasped for air, coughed. Wheezed. Hands waving in the air frantically to dispel the haze that cloyed around them.

Even to the one under the bed. Luckily for Peter, no one could hear the rat sized sounds muffled by bed sheets from their own, dismal pronouncements. Finally, the smoke dissipated. As if it had never been there, the note disintegrated with a chortled poof. All that was left was the young wizards and a rat.

Lucius Malfoy opened his eyes and looked around at his friends. Rosier, Wilkes, Lestrange and Snape. If they could have, his eyes would have widened. His lips would have sneered. He would have shouted. Instead, he stood up and looked in the mirror in horror.

“My father,” Malfoy began, but it came out garbled, “Is going to hear about this!” He tried to shout, tried to move any part of his face. But it was orange and round, as orange and round as the pumpkins decorating the Great Hall. Just like Snape's, Rosier's, Wilkes' and Lestrange's.

And, of course, if he'd peeked under the bed, a rat's face also. Who moaned internally about the dawning knowledge he was _not_ going to make it to the feast that night. But, suddenly, he wasn't all that hungry anyhow.


End file.
